In the run-up to the German federal election taking place on 23 February 2025, the German-Austrian Digital Media Observatory (GADMO), provides weekly insights into key election-related developments in Germany’s digital information space. Please note that the below is a semi-automated translation of the German version of the weekly election newsletter which you can subscribe to here.
While this election campaign will only last a few weeks, even this short time period will see false content being published on online platforms piece after piece. In fact, GADMO’s fact-checkers have been registering fake content for weeks that poisons the mood, unsettles and causes confusion. As part of our efforts to counteract this phenomenon, from today onwards we will be providing weekly information about the false information we detect and investigate about the federal election on 23 February.
What we have uncovered recently
- To create a false impression, it is often enough to shorten a politician’s statement and take it out of context. When asked about the possibility of a nuclear war, CDU leader Friedrich Merz replied in May 2022 that he was not afraid, “but of course we are all concerned and worried.” A completely distorted statement is now being spread, lacking any temporal context and misusing quotation marks. Learn more in this factcheck (in German).
- A completely fabricated false claim about the Green Party’s top candidate was even spread in Germany’s neighboring country Austria. Robert Habeck allegedly filed charges in over a thousand cases because of an offensive emoji. This factcheck shows that this is not true (in German).
- Poll numbers are constantly changing. If content spreads outdated numbers and presents them as current, it is false, concludes this factcheck (in German). Sometimes screenshots of poll results are simply changed to misrepresent the mood in the country. This is what research into a screenshot spread on social networks revealed, which can be read in another factcheck (in German).
What is currently being shared particularly frequently
We have seen various versions of a false claim that is intended to undermine confidence in the rules of our democratic order. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) allegedly claimed that he would annul the election if the result did not go his way. However, this claim marks a complete fabrication, as there is no evidence anywhere to support such a statement by Steinmeier. A linked article refers only to a speech by Steinmeier in which he warns against foreign influence on the election.
In Germany, the Federal President would not even have the option of declaring an election invalid. Anyone who is eligible to vote can lodge an objection to the election result, and these objections are then examined by the Electoral Review Committee of the German Bundestag. All the background information can be read in this factcheck (in German).
How the election is being attacked
In the context of elections, we have been observing for several years that voting is repeatedly attacked with certain narratives and claims. Below we explain the most common ones.
After voting, images of ballot boxes without locks or seals are repeatedly used as alleged evidence of electoral fraud. However, while ballot boxes must be lockable, they do not necessarily need to be secured with padlocks or be sealed. Specifically, Paragraph 51 of the Federal Election Regulations states: “The ballot box must have a lid. […] It must be lockable.”
As a spokeswoman for the Federal Election Commissioner confirmed to GADMO partner Correctiv, “lockable” in the sense of the election regulations means the following: “there must be some kind of locking option that shows a continuous connection between the ballot box and the lid until the end of the voting process.” Whether these are padlocks, simple cable ties or a seal is not specified.
The minimum, explains the Federal Returning Officer, is an adhesive strip or a cord with a seal. Once a ballot box has been sealed by an election officer, it may not be opened again until the end of the voting process. There are no regulations about what material the ballot boxes must be made of; some are made of cardboard, others of plastic, fabric or metal.
